


Duly Noted

by curnon



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bliss first chapter warm and fuzzies, College AU, F/M, HEA, How do I explain this without spoiling, Hux is a bad dude, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, It do be different, M/M, Mechanic Rey, Mutual Pining, Perspective shifts, Please be careful with the second chapter, Professor AU, Professor Ben Solo, Slow Burn, flirty texts, not from Ben, office kisses, some smut but not a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:13:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26595028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curnon/pseuds/curnon
Summary: Rey's life isn't complicated. She works to pay rent, she pays rent to stay in town, she stays in town to graduate college. She's on track to finish her senior year without any fanfare. Then Ben Solo walked into the picture, and he's everything she ever needed. Only, things can't always be so uncomplicated, they just can't be.
Relationships: Leia Organa/Han Solo, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 12
Kudos: 99





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please be aware that this piece briefly deals with sexual assault. There is no explicit mention nor description of the event, but it is still heavily a feature in the next chapter. The story could easily finish at the end of this chapter, and if need be please stop reading there. Please take care when reading and look after what you need xx

Sweltering heat in the workshop had her pulling her arms out of the jumpsuit and tying the sleeves off around her waist. The tank top underneath the jumpsuit had seen its fair share of oil stains and rips anyway, it’s not like the thick material of her uniform was protecting her clothes from anything they hadn’t seen before. She kicked the creeper seat out of her way of, underneath the workbench as she wiped her hands on the trousers of her uniform. She checked the workshop clock and sighed, it was barely midday and this heat was already unbearable.

“Ready to knock off?” Her boss, Chewie, asked without looking up at her as she walked into the workshops office, dropping down into her chair.

“It’s not even lunch.”

“It’s Sunday, go early.”

“I’ve got to finish the transmission fix in the fiat,” she said, pulling a water out of the small fridge in the corner of the office, “It will bother me all week if I’m not the one to fix it.”

“Control freak. When does the semester start again?” He asked, flipping the paper he was working on over to start on the other side.

Rey looked over his shoulder, he was doing his taxes for the shop. “You forgot a decimal point.”

“Smart ass.”

“I wrote my semester dates in your calendar for you, just check there.” She said, finishing her bottle of water, tossing it in the bin and then standing again. The shops bell rang sharply through the workshop, and she flinched. They didn’t have customers on Sundays, she was only there to help Chewie finish jobs that didn’t get done during the week. She looked at Chewie who hadn’t seemed to notice the bell,

“You going to get that?” She asked him.

“Busy.”

“So am I.” She said, walking out to the workshop and leaving the bell to him. Rey heard his grumbling as he walked from the office through to the shop. Had she been paying attention, she would have heard jovial greetings and surprised tones echo into the workshop from the store. Only she didn’t. She’d turned the radio up, got herself situated on the creeper, and lost herself back under the fiat. She fucking hated fiats. Unreliable, and fiddly. She couldn’t really complain, poor craftsmanship kept her rent paid.

She worked for a little while longer, the heat once again causing sweat to pool between the skin of her back, her tank top, and the plastic of the creeper seat. She let out a surprised yell as she was suddenly yanked out from underneath the fiat to see Chewie standing over her. Rey hadn’t heard him coming over the sound of the music, and she started a line of profanity that had Chewie’s eyes widen. He quickly reached over and shut the music off,

“Watch your mouth,” he said with a scowl,“I was just wanting to introduce you to someone.”

The someone in question was leaning against the fiat like he owned it. She looked up at him and her previous fury at Chewie seemed to melt from her mouth. The man in front of her was _tall._ He had swimmers shoulders, dark hair, dark eyes that held an intimidating stare.

“Ben Solo.”

His deep voice reverberated through her, and for a moment she was convinced she’d forgotten how to blink. She felt like she was staring at him like a child stares at a three legged cat - in curiosity, in awe. She offered her hand to him and he took it. His hand engulfed hers, and she managed to say,

“Rey Walker.”

Ben continued to hold Rey’s gaze, and she became increasingly aware of the grease stains on her jumpsuit, her messy ponytail, the grubby hand she had offered him. He was immaculately dressed, dark jeans and a black t-shirt that just _looked_ expensive, and she hate him for it.

“Ben, Rey is my mechanic. Rey, Ben’s my nephew.” Chewie said proudly, and Ben seemed to snap out of whatever had been holding his eyes on Rey’s.

He gave Chewie a wide smile. “Nephew, of sorts,” Ben added, “The old man has been insisting I come by to see you.”

“Ten years you’ve been gone, and you just waltz back into town!” Chewie said loudly, and the volume startled Rey. She wasn’t unaccustomed to his voice, she was used to him yelling over the sounds of power tools, the workshop radio, and Rey’s own retaliative shouts, but now… she seemed to be on edge. “Rey, finish what you’re doing.”

“Why?”

“I want to lock up early, head over to Ben’s folks place. Seems we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” She’d never seen Chewie look at anyone like this. It was sort of like pride and awe in one look. Rey felt a pang in her gut. She saw Chewie as family, well as close as she’d ever gotten to it anyway, and he’d never looked at her like that.

“I’m not done.” She said indignantly.

“I’ll finish it during the week.”

“I can lock up. Just let me finish it.”

She waited for his reluctant shrug that meant she had won. She laid back on the creeper and before she dragged herself back under the fiat, she caught Ben’s eye.

“It was nice to meet you, Rey.” He said with a curt smile.

She gave him a nod, gripping the sway bar as leverage to disappear underneath the car without another word. She wanted to disappear altogether. Her skin was burning, and deep down, she knew that it wasn’t the August heat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next time she sees Ben, it’s 5.43am and she’s alone in the workshop, music up but not glaringly so (not after the noise complaints the local neighbours put in about her early morning routine). She’d pulled her jumpsuit up but not bothered with the buttons on the top, only her tank between her and the crisp morning air. She’d left her hair down, and she found a spot on the workbench for her to sit, the bonnet of the dark grey impala open as she considered the list of things it needed done.

Someone cleared their throat and she just about fell off the workbench. She was the only one here this early, the shop wasn’t even open yet. Instinctually, she grabbed the closest thing to her, a weighty wrench, and turned to swing it. His hand caught her arm and she looked up at her attacker, to see the deep brown eyes looking down at hers.

“Rey,” Ben said in his low rumble of a voice, “Sorry I startled you.”

His hand was still wrapped around her forearm, his fingers overlapping.

Her breath hitched in her throat as her mind wandered to what else those hands were capable of.

“What are you doing here?” She managed to say, his hand letting go of her forearm, leaving a tingling feeling against her skin.

“Chewie suggested I bring my car by, it’s been sitting in my parents garage for almost a decade… needs a bit of work.”

“We’re not open yet.”

Ben seemed to be taken aback by that, “He told me you’d be here, that you’d be the one to ask. Did he not tell you I’d be coming by?”

She shook her head, and he started walking around the workshop, before his eyes fell on the impala. His mouth tugged into a smile she couldn’t figure out.

“Nice,” was all he said, “lucky owner.”

“Yeah,” was her reply, “you want me to look at your car? Where is it?”

“Out front.”

She followed him out to the car park in front of the shop, and there it was. A truck. This tall, elegant being drove a truck. She raised an eyebrow .

“You got it here, so it obviously runs alright.”

“Clutch needs some work, transmission sucks, needs new break pads. Trust me, it’s not a pleasant ride.”

“Easy, I can do it today if you want to come back this afternoon.” She held out her hand and he dropped the keys into her palm, her small fingers closing around them as she put them in her pocket.

His eyebrows knitted together, “You don’t have to finish the impala you’ve got inside?”

“It’s mine, it doesn’t run. It can wait.”

“It’s yours?”

“Yeah, I rebuilt it.”

“You built it?”

“You always ask so many questions?”

“Yeah, usually. Do you usually start so early?”

“Yeah, usually.” Rey said, pulling her hair up into a ponytail before walking back inside the workshop, calling over her shoulder as she went, “Should be done by about 6pm at the latest, you can come pick it up then.”

She let the workshop door shut behind her and he didn’t follow her. Rey couldn’t deny that she was a little disappointed. She checked her phone to find a message from Chewie,

_Ben is coming by this morning, his truck needs a few fixings. Can find out what he needs?_

The truck she could handle, but Ben? She wasn’t sure yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ben came back at 6pm on the dot. The sun hung low in the sky, oranges and reds mixing with purples and blues as she pulled his truck out of the workshop and pulled it into the parking lot where he had left it. She jumped out of the drivers seat and silently tossed him the keys.

“Needed an oil change as well. Should be good to go.” She said, leaning against the passengers door, facing him with a small smile.

He thanked her and reached for his wallet and she held out her hand to stop him, “Don’t bother.”

Ben’s eyebrows came together in a frown, I don’t understa-“

Rey cut him off quickly, “Friend of Chewie’s, friend of mine.”

“It was a whole days work.”

“Chewie overpays me anyway. Don’t worry about it.”

His eyes lingered on her for a moment, and Rey found herself wishing she was wearing a pretty dress and not a jumpsuit, and that she had spent time doing her nails, rather than the grease she had on her hands. “I can’t quite figure you out, Rey.” He said softly, spinning his keys around his finger, “I’ll find a way to repay you.”

Ben climbed into the drivers seat of the shitty truck with ease - it had taken Rey a run up to get into the bastard of a thing in the first place. She walked up to the drivers side and he rolled the window down.

She’s not sure what made her ask, “Why were you gone so long?”

“Maybe I’ll tell you about it some time.”

“Is that a promise?”

Ben gave her a tight smile, dimples appearing from nowhere either side of his mouth. He gave her a nod so small she might have missed it if she wasn’t watching his every move. He wound the window up and drove off. Rey sighed, and looked over at her neglected impala. _Worth it,_ she thought to herself, before she made her way back inside to lock up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first day of semester started without fanfare. As a senior, Rey had very little energy or excitement for the first day of classes. She wandered across campus in the cool morning air towards her class with her backpack over one shoulder. With the extra money she’d gotten working at the garage, she’d been able to buy a new bag - one that didn’t have her pens falling out of the bottom every ten steps. There was hardly anyone around so early, which is why she opted for the early morning classes. Campus was peaceful.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, pulling her from her mindful walk.

**Unknown**

_Good morning. I got your number from Chewie. Hope that’s okay._

**Rey**

_He’s got to stop leaving it on bathroom stall doors, this is the third time this week._

**Unknown**

_Wait, seriously?_

**Rey**

_No, Ben._

**Ben**

_How did you know it was me?_

**Rey**

_Deductive reasoning. Why did you ask for my number?_

**Ben**

_I wanted to thank you, for the truck. It’s running perfectly._

**Rey**

_You already thanked me. I was just doing my job._

**Ben**

_Only it wasn’t your job._

_Chewie told me it was your day off, and that you use the garage to work on your car. You didn’t need to help me with mine, he would have._

_Why did you help me?_

**Rey**

_I’m not entirely sure._

He doesn’t reply after that and she feels guilty. Not because she feels as though she’s done something _wrong_ necessarily, but because she lied to him. She knew why she helped him. Rey wanted to work on his car because she felt as though she might get to know him somehow through the engine. She’d come face to face with him three times, and each time it left her feeling weak.

Approaching the engineering building, Rey stashed her phone into her backpack and traded it for a textbook. She checked her watch, she was still early. Instead of going inside the building to wait for her class to start in some empty room, she found a nearby bench to sit on, opening her textbook and pulling a pencil from her bag. Working through some of the exercises on the page was a relief to her anxious mind, at least it was until someone dropped down onto the bench next to her, scaring the shit out of her.

“Jesus-” she hissed through her teeth, looking over to see none other than Finn with two coffees in hand.

“Finn will do just fine.” He said as neutrally as possible, handing her the coffee.

“Will you ever decide to just say good morning like a normal person?”

“Unlikely. Drink up. You’re grouchy.”

Finn Storm had been her best friend throughout her degree. They had met at freshman orientation, drawn to each other in some kind of psychic “your story is just as fucked up as mine” kind of way. Orphans, both of them. Scholarships, both of them. Tragic back stories that must never be mentioned and don’t even try using the word ‘therapy’, both of them. They’d spent far too many nights in the library until the sun came up, studying for tests and finishing papers. Finn had taught her how to cook, and Rey had taught him how to box. Finn was her best friend, he was her anchor point. He knew her backwards and forwards, and it was nice to be known, to be seen. Finn was her home. 

Rey took a mouthful of the coffee, pleased to taste hazelnut. She usually hated flavoured coffee, but hazelnut was her one exception. They shared a few morning rituals (coffee, reviews of weird dreams from the previous night, Rey telling Finn how the impala was going - or wasn’t going, Finn telling Rey about the date he had with Poe over the weekend, the usual), before deciding it was probably time they made their way into class.

The first day back roused Rey’s inner academic from its stoic and stubborn slumber. She met her new professors, read the syllabus’, planned a new study timetable, and ensured that she and Finn were paired for a research project due at the end of semester with some cajoling of her supervisor. By the time she returned to her apartment, she was exhausted. Her brain was lagging behind her, letting her habits and muscle memory carry her through the evening. She made dinner, and her lunch for the next day, she did the dishes and wiped down the kitchen bench. After a warm shower she pulled on the oversized shirt she slept in and brushed her hair, climbing - or rather, falling - onto the mattress on the floor that constituted her bed.

Her studio apartment wasn’t much. The walls were bare brick, with plaster in some places that gave the illusion of the walls falling in on her while she slept. She’d hung some fairy lights over her bed, so that she could sleep with the faintest of light for comfort. She had no room for a couch, or a dining table. Finn had helped her mount the television she’d gotten from Goodwill on the wall, they’d hung some shelves in the kitchen too as the storage options were fairly limited. Most of the time she studied at home, it was at the kitchen bench.She didn’t have people over - other than Finn. Having her own space was something she’d never imagined during her adolescence. This place, as small and as drafty as it was, was hers. Her phone pinged.

**Finn**

Want to get drinks on Friday after class? Poe wants to celebrate our last first week back with us.

**Rey**

He’s sweet.

Is he paying?

**Finn**

Always.

The Base, 7pm.

**Rey**

I’ll be there.

Rey plugged her phone into charge, and rolled over in bed. It took all of a few minutes before sleep finally found her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ben was familiar with the university, having completed his Bachelors there a decade earlier. He didn’t need a tour of the humanities department, but he agreed to one all the same. Nothing had really changed. The enduring head of the department was a diminutive yet forceful woman who insisted that she be called Maz by everyone, even her students. Never Professor Kanata, always Maz. Ben had always liked that about her. Her office was a whirlwind, but she seemed to know where everything was. She passed him his teaching lists, and they went over the faculty meeting schedule for the next month, and sent him on his way.

His office was on the fourth floor of the department, in the back corner of the building. Luckily, the classroom he would be using most commonly was on the same floor. He’d carried a box up the stairs on his first day, and placed it only his desk. Slowly, he unloaded his items and found a place for the cramped office. He placed a few of his favourite reference books on the shelves behind his desk, found a place for his laptop on the desk, and moved the small plant his mother had given him to the windowsill, hoping that it would get enough light. Ben glanced out of the window into the small university grounds, and he froze as his eyes landed on something - _someone_ \- unexpected.

Rey Walker was wandering arm in arm with a young man around her age. They were intermittently trying to trip each other, and the man managed to trip her once but before she could do more than stumble, he’d caught her. They were a cute couple, but acid burnt in Ben’s stomach. Of course she had a boyfriend. Of course she went to the university he was working at. Of course she was intelligent and good with her hands.

He let out a sigh and turned back to his cramped office, suddenly wishing he’d been given an office in the basement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The week rolled on as most weeks did. Rey spent most of her free time in the library until late at night, working on her assignments and getting ahead of the homework she would have for the weekend. She was working both Saturday and Sunday, she wouldn’t have time to work on school as well. By Thursday night, she was just about done with her work for the week, so she allowed herself an early finish.

10pm. Rey was used to walking across campus late at night, her keys tucked between her fingers and buried in her pocket. It was a ritual, and it kept her feeling safe. She never used headphones on the walk home, and she usually ran the last few blocks before her apartment. It gave her peace of mind.

What didn’t give her peace of mind was Ben Solo running into her as she left the library.

“Christ - I’m so sorry,” his low voice said as he bent down to help pick up the books he’d knocked out of her hand, “Are you okay?”

“Are you following me?” Rey asked in a rush, her heartbeat quickening at the sight of him. She was frozen in place. They were completely alone and he had come out of nowhere. Why was he even on campus in the first place?

“Following you?” He asked, looking up as he passed her books back to her, “No, Rey. I’m not following you. I work here.”

“At the library?”

“At the university.”

The cortisol pulsing through her veins seemed to stand down, but she was still on edge. Only now it wasn’t fear. It was something else that she couldn’t quite place.

“What do you teach?”

“History and Linguistics.”

“Oh.”

“What do you study?”

“Engineering.”

He gives her a look and she frowns. She doesn’t know what the look means. So she asks,

“What was that?”

“Nothing, it’s just-”

“Just what? Women can’t be engineers?” She asked scathingly, years of hearing misogynistic bullshit from her classmates and teachers striking out at him.

Ben raises an arched eyebrow at her, “No. I was just thinking that I should have guessed. You’re a great mechanic, engineering suits you.”

She clenched her jaw, a small flush of preemptive anger and then embarrassment rising in her cheeks. Silently, she thanks fate for the late hour.

Rey was still defensive when she said, “You don’t know me.”

“I’d like to.”

She’s not sure what made her say it. It was false confidence, she’s sure of it, but she said, “Well. You have my number, use it.” Then she walked off. She left Professor Ben Solo in her wake, his mouth open slightly as he tried to form a retort but didn’t manage one in time.

She’d just flirted with him.

She’d just flirted with a professor.

He’s not _her_ professor, but he’s still _a_ professor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Base was always crowded on the weekend, especially Friday nights. Ben had tried to remind his father that. Han hadn’t listened, or had listened and instead chosen to ignore his son. Ben had tried to convince his dad he was happy to have a drink at home instead, but his dad had insisted that after being _abandoned_ by his son for so long, he was owed a drink. After all, _“how little time do I have left Ben?”_

Ben knew that Han had invited Chewie and his Uncle Luke. This “ _celebrate my sons first week of teaching_ ” was an excuse to rally his drinking buddies, and Ben couldn’t bring himself to take that away from him.

After work he stopped by his apartment and changed from his suit, shirt, and tie to a black t-shirt and his nice jeans (dark, no coffee stains, managed to stay up on their own without a belt), and he was ready to go. He brushed his teeth quickly, grabbed his car keys and made his way towards the bar. He found a parking spot on the street, and saw Uncle Luke’s car on his walk towards the front door, at least glad he wouldn’t be waiting at a table alone for them to turn up.

His concern was ill founded - once inside he saw his father, his uncle, and Chewie sitting at a table, a pitcher of beer already sitting empty in the middle of the table. Ben grinned at them, but before heading over he ordered another pitcher from the bar, and asked for an extra glass.

“Here he is!” Han announced loudly as his son sat down at the table, people at surrounding tables looking around to see who it was that deserved such an announcement. The pitcher was distributed among the four of them quickly, and they made short work of it. Ben had resigned himself to a few drinks for the night, but he planned on being able to drive Han home if came to it.

The night continued in a fashion of “remember the good old days” between Chewie, Luke and Han, as well as the occasional mooning that Ben was finally home and _god how you’ve grown up_. Ben got the next round, and while he was standing at the bar, waiting for the bartender to switch his attention from a few too-young-to-be-in-a-bar girls to him, a firm hand clasped itself on his shoulder. He turned to see none other than Poe Dameron.

“What the fuck?” Ben said in utter surprise. Poe grinned widely at him, pulling him into a hug. Ben returned the sentiment, and when he pulled back from him he couldn’t believe he was really standing in front of him. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going home to Oregon?”

“Moved around 18 months ago! Flying commercial nowadays, I was actually only here for a layover, but I found a reason to hang around.” Poe smiled again, looking over his shoulder at a table behind him where a few people were standing and laughing, “Let me get you a drink, I want you to come meet him.”

“I’m here with my old man…” Ben started to say, before he looked over at his own table to see the men engrossed in a conversation, clearly too many beers deep to notice that Ben had disappeared. “I can quickly come say hi.”

Dameron was in his unit when they were in the airforce. He was there for Ben when everything went to shit, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t carry any guilt about not reaching out to Poe after they were both discharged. Dameron was always kind and warm, and Ben had been jaded and angry. Poe ordered a bunch of drinks, and enlisted Ben’s help to carry them back to his table. Two two of them approached the table, and Ben’s gut lurched. It was _him_. Rey’s boyfriend. He was sitting at the table Poe was beelining for, and Ben found himself clenching his jaw wishing that he had just fucking stayed at home. Until she turned and looked over her shoulder, and the ground felt like it had been yanked out from underneath him.

If he’d thought she was beautiful before, she had really outdone herself tonight. The hair she usually wore in a messy up-do was flowing around her shoulders. With one side of her hair tucked behind her ear, he noticed an arrangement of hooped piercings up and down the smooth looking cartilage. Her outfit was less “mechanic chic” and more “goddess designed specifically to torture Benjamin Solo”, she had a tight long sleeve maroon dress that skimmed her mid thigh, and a pair of black heeled boots that cut off at her ankle. His mouth went dry just looking at her. The recognition on her face went through a few stages - shock, confusion, and finally to an emotion Ben didn’t recognise.

“Solo, this is Finn.” Poe said, breaking him from his Rey related reverie, “My boyfriend.”

Ben’s brain tried to right itself as that information processed - so he was _Poe’s_ boyfriend, not Reys. Ben hated how quickly the relief washed over him. He held out his hand to Finn, barely catching a look that Finn exchanged with Rey, before he took his hand and shook it. “And this is his best friend, Rey.”

“We’ve met, nice to see you Rey.”

“You too, Ben. I think that might be mine?” Rey said, smiling up at him before nodding towards the other drink in his hand. He passed it to her and felt her fingers brush his, heat rising up his neck. He paid no mind to Poe explaining to Finn how they knew each other. His attention was completely on Rey.

“How was your first week?” She asked, turning in her chair so she was facing him, crossing one of her long legs over the other. He cleared his throat before he took a rather large mouthful of whisky.

“Uneventful,” he said, keeping his eyes glued to hers, “I’ve got mostly introductory classes this semester, so it was a lot of answering questions on attendance requirements and when my office hours are.”

“When are they?”

He laughed, thinking she was joking. That is, until she raised an eyebrow at him, telling him she was serious.

“You want to know my office hours?”

She nodded, her lips finding their way over the rim of her glass with such purpose he found himself jealous of a fucking wine glass.

“Monday, Wednesday, Friday. 3pm to 5pm. I’m on the fourth floor of humanities.”

“Duly noted,” she smiled at him. She’d clearly been listening to Poe’s introduction, “So you were military? Is that part of your mysterious ten year disappearance from town? Were you special forces to hunt down the really bad guys?”

Ben chuckled, watching the way her fingers curled around her wine glass, “It’s not as interesting as all that. After I graduated from my bachelors, I was feeling a little lost in the world, and instead of just talking about it with my family I joined the air force without telling them. Hurt them a lot. I was with the military for four years before I was discharged, after that I went back to school, did my masters in linguistics, then decided a history PhD would suit me just fine.”

“Why were you discharged?”

He tensed, she seemed to sense it, and she quickly said, “Sorry. I’m nosey. You don’t have to tell me.”

He leant his elbow on the table beside them, “Maybe another time.”

“It seems as though we’re getting quite a few of those.”

“You don’t sound like you’re complaining.”

“I’m not.” Rey touched her hand to his forearm on the table, and Ben swallowed hard against his Adams apple. Without his consent, his mind ran through scenarios in which he would take that hand and lead her out of the bar without another question. He asked the question that had been nagging at him since the second he’d met her, “How old are you, Rey?”

“I’m twenty-three, Ben.”

Without her asking, he said “I’m thirty-four.”

Her hand on his arm didn’t falter, like he was expecting. Rey simply nodded, and took another sip of her wine. The wine in question had stained the inner ring of her lips a deep red, and Ben wanted nothing more than to find out what it would taste like. She was rubbing small circles on his forearm and he temporarily forgot how to breathe.

The sound in the bar seemed to damped for a brief second, before he heard a loud crash sound from behind him. It pulled Rey’s attention away from him and he half turned, ready to be absolutely livid at whoever had caused the disturbance. On the other side of the bar was his Uncle Luke, sitting on his dad’s shoulder, and the two of them were trying to wrestle Chewie to the ground.

“Is that-”

“Your boss and my genetic blood line, yes.” Ben groaned. The bouncer from the front door had come inside and was trying to separate the men from each other. There was raucous laughter, but the manager of the bar was trying to lecture them on safety, and insurance to the bar, and anything else he could think of to get the men to give up their game.

“I should go deal with that.” Ben said, standing from his chair.

“Ben,” Rey said in a voice he couldn’t place, he turned to look at her, “You should use my number more.”

He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the sides of his mouth, because even though he would have to drive three drunk idiots home, Rey wanted him to contact her. _Him_ to contact _her._ “Duly noted.” Was all he could manage before he left to deal with Han, Luke, and Chewie. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rey stayed in her bed longer than usual, staring up at the lights on her ceiling. She had the slightest of headaches from the previous night, but nothing significant. If anything, she was convinced the headache was less to do with the red wine, and everything to do with the all-consuming-Ben-Solo. He hadn’t messaged her last night. She had wanted him to message the second he was gone, but he didn’t. She didn’t know what she was doing. Ben was a professor, he had his life together, he was in his thirties and probably had some gorgeous girlfriend who was a doctor or a lawyer or something. Finally she sat up in bed and pulled her hair into a messy ponytail with the hairband she kept on her wrist.

Her phone pinged, and she reached for it just a little too quickly.

**Ben**

All of them got banned from The Base for three months.

**Rey**

Serves them right for interrupting us.

**Ben**

I agree.

Rey wanted to ask him what _exactly_ the commotion had interrupted, but she chickened out. Before she could write a response her phone pinged again

**Ben**

I’m imagining Chewie probably won’t be in the shop today. He looked pretty worse for wear.

**Rey**

That’s okay, he doesn’t usually work the weekends with me during the semester.

**Ben**

Speaking of, how do you have time to major in engineering, and work all weekend?

**Rey**

With great difficulty.

Ben grinned at her message. He’d never met someone quite like her, someone who worked so unbelievably hard, but appeared to not want anyone to know just how hard. Before he had time to answer her message, his mother pulled the front door open. He’d knocked only a few moments before, carrying a tray of coffees and a selection of his parents favourite baked goods.

“Happy Saturday,” he smiled as his mother pulled him into a hug.

Leia came up to about his middle, but she still have the fiercest hugs of anyone he’d ever met. Ben had been carrying the guilt of what he had done to his parents for years. When he’d left the military, when he’d finally escaped from Commander Snoke, he had been too ashamed to come back to them. He’d used all of his money to pay for school, every last dollar of it, to be able to come home a changed man. A man they could be proud of. Ben had known that there was a chance that it would be too late for him, that maybe they had been too hurt, that the pain of their son abandoning them and not telling them why, could be too much to bear.

Only, what happened was nothing like any daydream about their reunion he could have imagined. He’d applied at the university, and gotten the job under Maz’s guidance. He’d found an apartment in town, and moved his meagre belongings into it. He put on a nice suit, and he did his hair, and he walked across town to his parents house in the early evening. The front porch light was on, like it always had been. He considered knocking, but it felt so alien to knock on a door he used to kick open after school. Instead, Ben reached into the garden and found the Key Frog, pulling the spare key from within, and let himself into his parents house - into his childhood home.

_“Han, please tell you you remembered to get eggs!” His mothers voice called from the kitchen as she heard the door close. Ben had swallowed hard, by the time he’d heard her voice there was no backing out. When he didn’t respond straight away, Leia stepped out from the kitchen and into the hallway, letting out a small scream at the sight of him. She had been holding a bowl of salad, which crashed to the ground and threw lettuce and tomato all over the floor._

_“Benjamin.” Leia had breathed, as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing._

_“Hi Mom.” She'd hugged him and she cried and he apologised and she waved them off. Han’s reaction wasn’t much different. He’d dropped the eggs he’d been sent to get from the store, and hugged his son so fiercely that Ben wasn’t sure he’d be able to breathe again._

Ben had been coming by the house to see them a few times a week since he’d been home. They’d asked him if he wanted to move back in, but Ben figured that at thirty-four, he should probably stick to having his own place. Leia took one of the coffees,

“Your father slept on the couch.”

“Dog house?”

“No, he just snores too much when he’s drunk, the whole house shakes.”

Ben laughed and passed her a pastry, before going to find his dad in the living room, curled up in a ball on the couch. “Here you go old man,” he said loudly as he placed the drink on the coffee table. He got an appreciative grunt from Han, before he left the living room and found Leia sitting out in the garden. Ben sat down beside her and took a sip of his own coffee.

Leia gave him a knowing smile, “Han said he spoiled your night.”

“What did he mean by that?”

“Something to do with a young brunette, a red dress, and you threatening to give him a black eye for interrupting.”

“It was maroon.” Ben corrected too quickly, before groaning, knowing that Leia had gotten what she’d wanted.

“So who is she?”

He groaned, knowing there was no point in avoiding the question any further, “She’s Chewie’s mechanic. Her names -”

“Rey Walker.”

“Oh come, how do _you_ know her?”

Leia’s eyes twinkled and Ben was beginning to remember just how little he was able to keep from her as a kid.

“Rey’s been working with Chewie for years, she’s fixed my car once or twice.” Leia said, taking the lid off of her coffee to dunk her pastry, “Rey’s a wonderful girl, Benjamin. You should bring her over for dinner.”

“I haven’t even asked her out yet. I’m not about to suggest bringing her here before then.”

“I’m a patient woman.”

“That you are.” He said, leaning over to kiss her cheek, and Leia simply sat there like the cat that got the cream.

He spent the rest of the morning lounging around his parents house. Han woke up properly eventually, his hair sticking up in all angles and reeking of beer. Ben took every opportunity to make fun of him. When he was on his way out, having told his parents that he’d visit mid-week for dinner, his phone pinged from his pocket, and he reached in to check it.

**Rey**

So I was wondering something.

**Ben**

Oh? I’m all ears.

**Rey**

Seeing as you haven’t done it yet, you chicken.

Do you want to get dinner tonight?

**Ben**

I want nothing more.

That last message was a lie. There were plenty of things that he wanted more, but all of them were the kinds of things that usually happened _after_ dinner. She texted him her address, and Ben immediately called one of his favourite restaurants in town to make a booking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rey rushed home after she closed up the store and workshop. Quickly showering, she washed her hair and shaved her legs, working hard to get the grease from out beneath her fingernails. Her stomach felt full to the brim with butterflies. She had shocked herself at the boldness she managed to summon in sending him that message, but my god had it paid off.

She stood in her studio, her towel wrapped tightly around herself as she looked into her wardrobe. They hadn’t discussed any details about where they were going, and she didn’t want to message him and ask about a dress code, so she was stuck trying to find something that would suit any occasion. Rey settled on a pair of high waisted, fitted grey trousers and a white, tightly fitted crop top that rested on the waist of the pants. She pulled on her black heeled ankle boots. Her arms were bare, so she decided to throw on an oversized blazer she’d gotten from Goodwill. Next she focused on her hair, blowdrying it and leaving it to flow down her back. She added some mascara to her lashes, as her doorbell rang. She moved quickly to answer it,

“I’ll be right down.” She said into the intercom.

“Take your time.” His deep voice replied.

Rey quickly grabbed her phone and her wallet, stashing them into the pockets of the jacket. She ran down the stairs of her apartment building two at a time, making sure to take the last few slower so she didn’t look like complete shit by the time he saw her.

She pushed the door to her building open, only to find him leaning against the wall of the buildings front. Rey’s heart fluttered at the site of him. He was so gorgeous, no matter what he wore. She’d seen many sides to him already, but this one was something else. He was wearing a deep green button up shirt, and a pair of tailored black trousers and shiny black shoes. His sleeves were rolled up his forearms, and she had to keep her eyes on his face to not spend too long staring at his arms and hands.

“You look…” Ben trailed off, looking over her.

“You too.” Rey smiled, she looked out to the street, looking for his car, “Where is your rust bucket?”

He laughed suddenly, the noise surprising her. It wasn’t unwelcome, his laugh sounded soft and sweet like honey, and for some reason made her belly feel warm.

“No truck tonight, we’re walking,” He explained, nodding for her to follow him. They walked east of her apartment for some time, and along the way they chatted about the night before. Rey told him about Poe and Finn going hard on the drinks and taking the PDA to a whole new level that she left The Base not long after he did. He told her about seeing his parents that morning, and that his mother knew her name,

“You telling your folks about me already, Solo?”

“You’ve fixed everyone in towns cars, Rey. How is that possible?”

“I like to keep busy.”

“I’ve noticed.” 

They made it to the restaurant in comfortable silence, Ben’s hand firmly in Rey’s. The image of her in Ben’s head was starting to solidify, he was starting to be able to fit the missing pieces in together. Rey worked hard because she had to, Rey was determined because she had to be. The restaurant wasn’t flashy, but they did the best tacos in town, and Rey seemed to enjoy them as much as he did. They talked about anything and everything, the conversation rarely lulled, and when it did it was a comfortable silence. Ben ordered them red wine, and they talked long after their meals were done. Ben paid for the bill, Rey tried to fight him on it, but he handed his credit card to the waiter long before she could fish a number of crumpled notes from her wallet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The start of the week came too soon. Rey had spent all of Sunday at work thinking about Ben. She thought about the way he held her hand, the way he listened, the way the dimples in his cheeks appeared out of nowhere. The way his hand brushed hers again and again as they walked until he just slowly interlocked their fingers, her hand sitting within his. He’d dropped her off home, and he’d kissed her cheek.

Rey had wanted more.

Why did he have to be such a fucking _gentleman?_

He’d talked about history _a lot_. In fairness, she’d asked. She’d asked about his favourite decade from the 20th century, and from there she asked about his favourite music, and then about why linguistics interested him. He’d talked about his time in the airforce, told her that he knew how to fly planes, and that his discharge from the military had come in the form of his best friends death. Ben had known it had been negligence on the air forces behalf, and he tried to call them out on it. Before Ben could report the incident, he had been called “unfit for duty” and returned to US soil. Rey had watched the way his jaw clenched and unclenched as he told that particular story. She’d been happy to help change the subject when he asked her about the impala, about working for Chewie, about her accent, about engineering, about Finn. She told him everything, she’d opened to him like a book, and it made her anxious but also… relieved? To be seen, to be heard. The only person she’d ever had that with was Finn. Ben knew about her, about her childhood, about her life and what it had and what it was missing. What was happening between her and Ben was… terrifying… electric even.

Rey pulled out her phone on Wednesday afternoon, and wrote a quick message.

**Rey**

Professor, are your office hours looking quiet today?

**Ben**

My freshman don’t seem to have any questions for me of late.

Will likely be tumbleweeds all afternoon.

Why is that?

**Rey**

I’d like to see you.

**Ben**

I’d like that too.

Rey finished her classes early on a Wednesday, so by 4pm standing in the doorway of Ben’s office. He was at his desk, a pair of glasses she’d never seen him wear before on his face as he looked down at a stack of papers - he was grading, she noted. Rey tilted her head as she looked over the room. He had a bookcase half filled behind his desk, old looking copies of books she’d never heard of. She spotted a potted plant sitting on the windowsill to the right of his desk. Looking back at him, she watched as he ran a hand through his hair, _god, what I wouldn’t do to run my hand through his hair for him_.

She’d been standing too long without announcing herself. She knocked, and he looked up. There was a split second before recognition hit him and his face broke out into a broad smile.

“Rey,” he said, standing up from his desk, “Hi.”

“Hi,” she said, taking one of the empty seats across from his desk, “Nice office. You’re too big for it though.”

Ben laughed, “I think most people would phrase it the other way around. That the office is too small for me.”

“I stand by what I said.” she said, watching him smile at her from across the desk, “I’ve been wanting to ask you something.”

“That is what office hours are for, so shoot.”

“Are we doing something wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“You and I. Is this - will you get in trouble for seeing me?”

He frowned, his mouth becoming a tight line, “You’re not my student, Rey. You might be _a_ student, but not _my_ student.”

“Okay, okay good.” She said, fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt.

“What’s worrying you?” Ben asked, his voice gentler now. He’d stood up again, only this time he walked around to the front of his desk, leaning against it so he was right in front of her now. She thought about the question, weighed up her answers, before she said,

“You didn’t _kiss_ me.”

He let out a sigh, giving her a look that told her he was as disappointed as she was, “I know.”

“So I thought, maybe you were worried about someone finding out, or you getting in trouble, or me losing my scholarship - ”

“I’ve already checked, Rey. We’re not doing anything wrong. You’re not even in my department. There is no gray zone.”

“So why didn’t you kiss me?”

Ben rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes locked on hers. “I chickened out, at the last minute. I kissed your cheek because I was scared.”

“Then kiss me now.”

His voice caught in his throat, “Here?”

Rey stood up and moved out of her chair, she moved towards the door and Ben’s hand wrapped around her wrist, “Don’t leave.”

“I wasn’t going to,” she said with a smirk, placing her hand on his door and pushing it closed, “Just fucking kiss me already, Solo.”

Ben’s hands were on her waist before she knew what was happening, he pulled her into him and his mouth was on hers in a heartbeat. His thumbs dug into her hips and she was sure it would bruise but she didn’t care. Rey’s hands slid up his chest to rest on his shoulders. He had to hunch over to kiss her, and she just wanted to climb him, wrap her legs around him, press herself against him. Her mind reeled as his gentle kiss deepened, and her body betrayed her with a moan. Rey felt him grin into the kiss and after a while they gently pull apart, each of them a little out of breath. 

“Worth the wait.” She said quietly, leaning her head against his chest.

“Get out of here before I do something I shouldn’t,” Ben grinned, “I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Okay. I’ll hold you to that.” Rey leant up to kiss him once more, chastely on the lips, before she grabbed her bag and left his office, the colour in her cheeks a warm reminder of his hands on her waist and her mind firmly in the gutter. 

He called that night like he said he would, and they talked for hours. Ben can cook, she found out while they talk, he’s actually pretty good at it. She invited herself to dinner on Friday and he didn’t hold back. He made a three course meal and she ate so much that she fell asleep on his couch. She woke up hours later and she was tucked into his bed. She wandered out of his bedroom and found him asleep on the couch, a blanket barely covering his feet. Rey woke him gently, and sleepily she guided him back to his bed with her. She took her jeans off and climbed into bed with him. She curled into his side and his arm instinctively wrapped around her waist. They sleep like that all night, and when Rey woke up again it was morning and neither of them had moved even an inch. It was the best sleep she’d had in months. He was warm, and his skin is soft, yet beneath that there is muscle as hard as stone. She ran her fingers over his taught chest, closing her eyes as she imagined what it would be like to place her hands on his chest while she rode him. Rey bit her lip, biting back a moan. Ben stirred at the sound and she feels something close to shame, at least she did feel it until she spotted the tenting of the bedsheet.

His ears went red and she found it to be the most endearing thing she’d ever seen. She kissed him, her hands _finally_ running through his hair. His large hands found her waist and lifted her easily on top of him. She let out a moan, and he was clearly happy with himself with the grin he keptwearing. She hated that he does that (but not really), so she grinded slowly against his groin, and he let out his own guttural sound. It was like playing tennis, they were shot for shot and eventually someone had to win. Rey decided that there was still too many layers between them, so she pulled her t-shirt up and over her head. She was bare chested and his pupils dilated, and she felt vindicated somehow. His hands roamed her body and his words became less coherent and her name started rolling off of his lips more and more often.

He propped himself up onto an elbow, his mouth finding a nipple and dragging a moan out of her, her hands laying on his chest just like she wanted, feeling his body tense beneath her touch. She started to feel a heat pooling in her belly, and it felt like he reads her mind. A free hand made its way between her thighs, he looked up at her, asking for consent that she gave in the form of a strangled moan.

Ben’s fingers made quick work of her, she was coming hard on two of his fingers when he easily flipped them over so her back was on the mattress and he was towering on top of her. She looked up at him, her hands begging for some of him to hold onto as he brought the fingers he’d had inside her to his mouth. She was lost for words as he tasted her from his fingers, and she needed him in a whole new way.

“Mouth.” Rey managed to say, “Please.”

Ben obliged, and she came again, her thighs squeezing either side of his head as she arched her back and lets out a scream. Ben was on top of her again when she reached down to palm him through pyjama pants,

“Don’t,” he rasped, “I won’t last two seconds. I need to be inside you.”

“Then take me.”

His pyjama pants didn’t make it all the way off, and he was quick with the condom, so much so that had Rey not been drowning in Ben, she might have had an insecure thought about just how practiced he was putting condoms on, but she didn’t. Instead she keened up to him, moaning his name as he aligned himself with her cunt. The two of them moan simultaneously as he fucks her, one hand sliding into her hair and grabbing a handful while the other steadies her hips against the bed.

It isn’t long before Rey is coming again, her hips bucking as she whimpers through her orgasm, and as Ben watches her come while she clings to him, he swears the sight of her alone is what sends him over the edge, sending ribbons into the condom. She stops him from pulling out for a moment or two, and he’s not complaining, he could stay buried in her forever if she asked him to.

“You’ve been holding out on me, Solo.” She panted, staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom.

Ben laughed, she really did give him too much credit. He kissed her neck softly as he caught his breath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rey’s semester continued rather uneventfully. She called Ben her boyfriend one night and his lips were on hers before she could even think about the word she’d let slip. He took her to his parents house to officially meet them - not as Chewie's friends but as his parents. Leia gives her a hug so tight she’s not sure if she has a bruised rib or two. They stay late into the night, drinking wine and laughing at pictures of Ben as a kid. Han tries to make fun of how goofy looking Ben was, but Rey can’t help but coo over each photo. Ben sits in a chair across the living room, watching with a smile as she pours over the photos of him growing up. Han winks at him at some point during the night, a wink that tells him not to fuck it up. Rey doesn’t notice, but she looks at Ben every few minutes, which Leia notices.

  
Rey and Leia finished off a second bottle of wine and they are just laughing and laughing at next to nothing. Leia tells Rey a story, and Rey doubles over. They are moths to a lamp, but to each other. Rey has never had so much fun in her life, she’s never felt so at home, so accepted. Rey climbs into the passengers seat of the truck later on, curling herself onto the seat as she leans her head against his shoulder, her hand on his thigh. She watched him as he drove them back to his place, and carried her up the stairs to his apartment. She’s laughing and dragging her hands through his hair as she slurred her words, “I don’t deserve you.” He tried to help her change into one of his shirts, but she made it harder for him by running around his apartment in her underwear, launching herself from his couch to his coffee table and back again, screaming with laugher as she narrow avoided him. Ben finally caught her mid air and she wriggled against his strong grip. Ben bribed her to put the shirt on and get into bed with the promise of ice cream. She obliged him, and they sat in his bed eating chocolate chip ice cream from the tub. She grinned at him like an idiot, the spoon hanging from the side of her mouth.

“What are you thinking about?”

“I’m just really happy, Benjamin Solo. I think I’m in love with you.”

“I think I’m in love with you too, Rey Walker.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, please take care reading this. Writing this piece has been cathartic for me, but I would hate for it to trigger you.

Rey had less than two months until graduation. She had been in the computer lab in the engineering building late one night, working on the results section of her project, wearing headphones and listening to another of Finn’s playlists he’d made for her, so she didn’t hear him, she sensed him. Rey turned her head and Professor Hux was standing in the doorway. Hux was Finn’s research advisor. He terrified her. He was intense, but also seemed to despise her, she’d never bothered to find out why. 

“Evening, Professor. You’re here late.” Rey tried hard to keep her voice even, but the fear was evident.

“I could say the same to you.” His voice was cold.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and she started to pack things back into her bag, making an excuse about not realising the time. He was still staring at her intensely,

“I hear you’re into professors, Walker. I hear you're fucking Ben Solo.”

She ignored him, swallowing the lump in her throat as fear started to overcome her. He doesn’t smile at her, and he steps so he is blocking the doorway. She asked him to move so she can leave. He doesn’t move. He doesn’t let her leave, not until he’s finished with her.

She didn’t go home that night. Instead she went to the emergency room, tears staining her cheeks. They asked if she wanted the police to be called, but she’d shook her head. They asked if there’s anyone they can call for her, and she’d shook her head again. They discharged her early the next morning, with a pamphlet of resources, numbers to call, advice lines, everything she doesn’t want to think about. She went back to her apartment. She didn’t answer her phone for four days. Ben came knocking by the second day, worried because he hadn’t heard from her. She told him she had a stomach bug, and that she didn’t want to get him sick. He tried to take her back to his place to look after her, but she told him that she’s fine, feeling better already, and that she had a lot of work to catch up on. That wasn’t necessarily a lie, by the fifth day she was already too far behind in her classes. She was fine, she told herself herself, fine, fine, fine. Rey didn’t spend an extra second beyond what is necessary in the engineering building. She went to class, she studied in the library only when it was busy, and she walked home before it got dark.

Ben seemed to notice that she wasn’t fine. She was coming over to his place less, replying to his messages more infrequently, and she felt guilty for not telling him. But she couldn’t. Not yet. If she told anyone yet, if she went to the police, Hux would be arrested. If he got yanked out of the department, Finn wouldn’t have a research advisor. He wouldn’t get to finish his project, he won’t graduate on time, he’d have to do another semester. Rey couldn’t put him through that. So she blamed her distance from everyone (Ben) on school. She’s busy, she’s graduating soon, there’s so much left for her to do. Ben understood, because of _fucking_ course he did. He’s an angel, and she is tainted. So she pushed him away, and he still understood. She cried against his chest one night, it’s the only time she’s let herself cry in front of him and he thought it was about _school_ of all fucking things, he comforted her, he made her tea and let her cry.

It took a month, but she made an appointment to see someone. Not a counsellor, not a doctor.

Leia Organa-Solo.

Her boyfriends mother opened her heavy, mahogany office door and beamed at the sight of Rey, “Come on in, darling.” Leia said in that warm honey voice that felt like a gentle embrace, one she didn’t feel like she deserved.

“What have I done to deserve such a social call?” Leia said, sitting down at one of the chairs in her office.

“It’s not exactly a social call, I’m afraid. I need a lawyer.” Rey said, looking down at her hands in her lap. She can’t meet Leia’s eye, and Leia seemed to know why. Rey has no idea how she knew, but the smile dropped from her face, her eyes hardened.

“Who?”

“What?”

“Who was it?”

“How do you-?” Rey didn’t try to push the question, she’d hoped that Leia had read her expression wrong, that she could lie and leave the room and pretend that she had never come here.

“I’ve been doing this job a long time, sweetheart.” Leia said, standing up and moving behind her desk. The older woman pulls out a bottle of clear liquid, vodka, and two rocks glasses from underneath her desk. She pours a generous amount into each glass and slides one across the table, “It’s always the same face. So, who is the bastard?”

“Armitage Hux.”

“Did you go to the hospital after?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. They’ll have the evidence on file. I’ll call the hospital, with your permission of course, and I’ll get the notes they have on file. I’ll need you to write a statement out if you can, only when you’re ready of course.”

“Leia,” Rey said suddenly, her eyes watering against her will, she manages to choke out, “Ben can’t know.”

“I know, sweetheart.” Leia said sadly, finishing her drink in one go. Rey feels lighter for the first time in weeks. A burden shared is a burden halved, and all that. Leia doesn’t let her even bring up the topic of cost, she outright refuses. Leia makes her cry again when she said, “You’re family, Rey. Family is very important to me. We’re going to make him pay.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ben missed Rey. She’d been distant, but he remembered what the final semester of college was like. She was applying for internships and jobs and summer programs, and she was finishing off her coursework. He’d gone by Chewie’s to see if she was working on the impala and the windscreen was covered in cobwebs. He just wished she would stay at his place so he could cook for her, tuck her in when she fell asleep with her face in her books, pull her into him while she slept in his bed. He didn’t take her distance personally, but he’s relieved that its finally the end of semester. She’d handed in her final paper today, her research was submitted, and she’ll finally be a college graduate.

He was in his office when he heard the sirens. He heard them, but he didn’t think anything of them.It isn’t until he heard a crowd gathering in the quad outside the building that he started to wonder. Frowning, he stood up and moved to his window to look out into the quad. The squad car was pulled up onto the edge of the parking lot, it’s doors wide open. He had a bad feeling about something, but he didn’t know what. Instinctively, he looks to the engineering building, and he saw Rey, standing with his mother. Ben’s frowned deepened, confusion and acid burning in his stomach. What came next ran through his head like a movie reel. The front doors of the engineering building opened, and two armed police march Armitage Hux down the stairs and across the quad. Ben saw Hux glare back at Rey. Her arms were folded across her body defensively, and his mother placed her hand on Rey’s shoulder.

His brain makes an assumption. An assumption that made him sick to his stomach, rage filled him from his throat to his hands, and before he knows it he was ripping his office door open only to run directly into his father, Hans hands immediately on Ben’s shoulders.

Han’s voice sounded far away, “Don’t even think about it, kid.”

“Move.” Ben snarls at him, shoving his shoulder. Han shoves him back, hard. He pushes him back into his office and Ben looks at him like he’s ready to knock him out.

“You go down there, you’ll kill him.” The tone in Han’s voice was forceful, and Ben was glad that Han knew what his plan had been - beat the police to the car and beat the shit out of Hux until he stopped breathing or until Ben had been pulled off of him, whichever had come first.

“That’s the point.” Ben shouted.

“You’ll go to _prison_ , Ben.”

“He - he _hurt_ her.”

The look on his fathers face confirmed it, and Ben broke down. His rage turned to ache, turmoil, agony. He couldn’t keep her safe. All the nights she had curled against him, he’d carried some pathetic notion of being her protector, her saviour, and when she needed him most, he hadn’t been there. In between sobs he was screaming, pulling at his fathers jacket like a child. Han held him tightly, and Ben felt like he as eleven years old again.

“She needs you here, more than she needs him dead.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leia demands they stay with her and Han for the night. Rey doesn’t refuse, and Ben doesn’t look anywhere except at Rey. The house is silent, and Ben knows it’s for his benefit. Everyone else had known about Hux, and the police, except for him. They know he is processing, but he feels guilty. Guilty that he didn’t protect her, guilty that he hadn’t figured out something was wrong earlier. Han made them dinner, and they sat out on the patio to eat.

“Thank you.” Ben said suddenly, halfway through the meal.

“It’s not problem, it’s an easy enough recipe, happy to give it to you-“ Han started, taking another bite of the pasta he thought Ben is talking about.

“Not the food,” Ben is looking up at Leia for the first time all night. “For what you did. Thank you.”

Ben’s hand found its way into Rey’s, and she looks up at him. There is a fear in her eyes, like she’s waiting for him to explode. Leia had to stand up and shoo Han inside, leaving the two of them alone on the patio.

Her voice broke as she said, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“You were right not to. I would have killed him, with my bare hands.” His voice is deeper than usual, like its laced with anger but not at her, never at her.

“It’s okay, you know,” Rey said, rubbing her thumb slowly over the back of his hand, “If you don’t want me anymore. It’s okay, I don’t blame you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m… I’m damaged goods, Ben.”

“Shut the fuck up.” He snapped, burying his face in his hands. His jaw clenched and unclenched, and Rey waited for him to say something. When he speaks again, his voice is stern, because he knows that she won’t listen to him if she thinks he’s just being kind to her, “You are not damaged goods Rey. Whoever made you think that your worth was based on anything other than what you deem your worth to be, they’re a fucking _cunt_.”

She stays silent, and Ben softens, placing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into him. “I love you, Rey. Tell me you see that. Tell me you feel that.”

Rey’s voice shook a little, but she said, “I do.”

“Then trust me when I tell you, you are all I will ever want. No matter what.”

Ben was sure he would always carry guilt over what happened to Rey. In his eyes, it had been his fault that Hux found out she was dating a professor, in Hux’s eyes that made Rey a challenge. Ben would always feel guilty that he hadn’t kept her in a cocoon made of cotton wool every second she was out of his sight. Ben would always regret not taking the opportunity to murder Hux in cold blood, but he got to spend every waking moment with Rey, and that made it all worth it.

Hux was convicted, on more than one count of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and statutory rape. It turned out this wasn’t his first time, and Leia had made quick work of tracking down the other victims. He got 15 years. When the bailiff removed him from the courtroom, he turned his head to look at Rey, and she had slowly raised her hand to him, to give him the finger. Ben was sure he’d never loved her more than he did in that moment. She cried against him that night, and every night, for months. She fell asleep crying, and she’d wake up exhausted. Ben suggested she talk to someone, and she flat out refused for the first few weeks. Until she found herself sitting on the floor of his living room wearing two of his hoodies because she couldn’t stop shivering, staring up at the ceiling, when she said, “I think you might be right.”

Ben dropped her off and picked her up from her therapists office once a week for months. Some days she cried harder in the car than she did before she fell asleep, but slowly, over time, Rey started to regain her life. She applied for jobs, went to interviews, went back to working on the impala. Ben helped her with the heavy lifting, like replacing the engine, and she paid him in complements and coffee. Rey let her lease expire, and Ben was confused until she said one morning, sitting in his bed wearing his t-shirt, “Will you just ask me to move in with you already?”

He made love to her that morning for the first time since it happened. She didn’t cry. She came with him, and the two of them ended up on his bedroom floor, half naked and sweating and panting, and telling each other “I love you” over and over again.

So Rey moved in with him, and she got a job offer for an engineering firm in town that was working on a new type of industrial generator that produced a fraction of the carbon emissions as standard generator. She took the job, then she found out that Finn had been offered a position as well. Finn never found out why she waited so long to report Hux. She still worked at Chewie’s on the weekend when she felt like it, she finally finished her car, and she had Benjamin Solo all to herself. Things weren’t perfect, but they were good, my god they were good. 


End file.
